Sony is getting ready for summer by releasing three new wireless speakers, each aiming to provide the hardware to properly soundtrack your outdoor gatherings.
There’s certainly no doubt over what type of occasions the X-Series speakers are targeted at. Outdoor evenings with friends being one, where you need a rugged portable to cut through the haze of chitchat. Sony’s trio of new speakers looks great for parties, even having built-in ambient lighting to complement the music.
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Pricing and availability have yet to be announced other than in Australia, where the three units will ship from June 2021. The SRS-XP700 and SRS-XP500 will price at AU$699 (roughly $420 / £350) and AU$499 ($300 / £250), respectively. This leaves the SRS-XG500 model, which will set you back AU$629 (about $380 / £320).
Each speaker features the company’s “innovative X-Balanced Speaker Units”, which amounts to a non-circular base. It’s not the most visually pleasing setup, but Sony claims that the structure provides “more sound pressure and less distorted sound.”
That being the case, we’d expect a rich and meaty sound from the units, with Sony adding they offer a clear sound “no matter what style of music you’re listening to.”
Primed for the outdoors
All three speakers feature a "Mega Bass" option that promises to turn up (in more ways than one) the speakers' bass levels into an all-together punchier affair.
There's also "Live Sound", which is a universal feature of the speakers, letting listeners recreate the experience of a festival — a sucker-punch of nostalgia to a bygone era of live music.
First and foremost, though, these are outdoor speakers, requiring a robust outer case and water resistance. The XG500 has an IP66 water-resistant and dustproof rating, with the XP700 and XP500 offering IPX4-rated water resistance.
All speakers are ready for the outdoors but the XG500, in particular, should be able to withstand even the harshest elements with its IP66 rating.
Portable with long-lasting battery life
Of course, we're still very much living in the pandemic era, so the party is probably on standby until things ease off.
But the Sony X-Series speakers are bound to excite people's inner-party animal. With all models featuring a comfortable carry handle, they can be maneuvered easily from home to wherever you may find yourself needing some music.
Sony also namechecks its "Battery Care Mode", which stops the speakers from recharging to 100% to extend the lifespan of the battery. The jury's still out on how well this actually works, though.
Either way, Sony's X-Series speakers will probably tap into a younger market, more concerned with the presence of audible music playing in the background of an event over the granular quality of it. Audiophiles won't be in a rush to add them to their wanted lists anytime soon, although we don't think that was ever Sony's aim with the X-Series.
More: Check out the best outdoor speakers for summer
